


Five Years

by AcesOfSpade



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Anniversary, Boys In Love, Dorks, Jason ships it too, Juvia can't take a hint, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mirajane ships it, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 09:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16282310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcesOfSpade/pseuds/AcesOfSpade
Summary: From the second Gray met Juvia Lockseer, he knew she'd be a pain in his ass for a long while. The first time she'd called him 'Gray-sama', he'd nearly shuddered in discomfort. Her first day as a member of the Fairy Tail, Gray made himself scarce so he didn't have to deal with her.Naturally, he's displeased when she tries to hit on him while he's trying to brainstorm ideas on how to propose to his long-timemalepartner.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have so many Marvel fics on the go rn, some with a load of chapters, but my brother and I started watching Fairy Tail from the beginning again, and these gays man. I could still spend hours just talking about how fascinating and complex I find the relationship between Natsu and Gray, though probably no one wants to listen lol
> 
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> ~~also my stupid canadian ass kept spelling gray's name wrong lol~~

From the second Gray met Juvia Lockser, he knew she'd be a pain in his ass for a long while. The first time she'd called him 'Gray-sama', he'd nearly shuddered in discomfort. Her first day as a member of the Fairy Tail, Gray made himself scarce so he didn't have to deal with her.

Now Gray had a few reasons to turn Juvia down so often, the most relevent being his total lack of attraction to women. There was also the fact that he'd been with the same person for quite a few years by that point. Hell, Gray's necklace that he always wore was a gift from his partner, a promise of fidelity and love.

A week or so after Juvia joined Fairy Tail, Gray was sitting by himself in the guildhall, a hnotebook open in front of him as he tapped the eraser end of his pencil off the page, trying to think. Juvia found him there just as he started scribbling something down. Gray sighed to himself when he heard her sit across from him, looking up from his notebook.

"What are you writing, Gray-sama?" Juvia asked curiously, a pleasent smile on her face.

"Nothing important," Gray shrugged casually, though it was only partially true. It wasn't important to Juvia, but it held Gray's future in its metaphorical palm.

"Oh, okay," Juvia muttered. "Can Juvia help in any way?"

"No," Gray said firmly, shaking his head. "It's something I need to do on my own."

Of course, Juvia never took 'no' for an answer. She moved to sit on the same side of the table as Gray, eyes quickly scanning what was written but not crossed out.

_Here's the thing: I'm terrible at talking about my feelings. You know that, but here I am, facing them head-on and putting my future in your hands_

Juvia felt her heart speed up as she read, eyes widening in surprise. Was Gray-sama trying to figure out a way to ask her on a date?

Gray sighed heavily, figuring that there was no use trying to move the book or hide the page from her. She'd find a way to read it anyway. Thankfully, someone wandered over and drew Juvia's attention long enough for Gray to quickly close the notebook and shove it into his bag so the new arrival wouldn't see it.

"Juvia," Natsu nodded in greeting. "Bothering the Ice Stripper again?" he wagered, taking her old spot across from Gray and teasingly kicked Gray's shin under the table.

"No! Juvia would never bother Gray-sama!" she defended. "Juvia was helping Gray-sama with what he was writing!"

Gray cursed inaudibly under his breath when Juvia mentioned that he was writing, hands wringing nervously under the table.

"Writing, huh?" Natsu hummed with a raised eyebrow. "What was we writing about?"

"Nothing," Gray cut in, speaking a little too quickly, feeling his cheeks warming up. "It was nothing. I told her I didn't need her help either."

"Really, Juvia?" Natsu sighed, shaking his head. "Leave the poor ice cube alone. If he said he doesn't need your help, don't try to help him," he said simply.

"Juvia just wanted to help," she protested.

"Doesn't matter," Natsu shook his head. "Go find anything else to do that leaves Gray alone."

Juvia made a small noise of protest, but she did get up from the table to go find Gajeel. Maybe her friend would want her around.

* * *

A few hours later, Gray found himself sitting alone again after Natsu and Lucy went out on a job, and Juvia went home. He had his notebook out again, the eraser end of his pencil held between his teeth as he thought. An idea came to him, so he scribbled it down before he forgot it.

_We've known each other since we were something like seven, been together since fourteen. We're almost twenty now. You gave me my necklace, I gave you that cuff. Both were given with a promise, a promise of a future together_

Returning the eraser end between his teeth, Gray was so lost in thought that he didn't notice someone sitting across from him for a solid few minutes.

"Earth to Gray. Come in Gray," Mira giggled, waving a hand in front of Gray's face. "Working on that proposal again?"

"Yeah," Gray muttered absently, taking the pencil out of his mouth. "It's a lot harder than I thought it was going to be," he admitted with a small sigh.

"Can I see?" Mira requested kindly, earning a nod from Gray as he turned the notebook towards her. She was quiet as she read, though she had a look on her face that showed she thought it was adorable.

"Awe Gray, that's so sweet," Mira cooed, looking back up at him. "The two of you are so sappy. I think it'll work!" she assured him.

"You sure?" Gray questioned, uncertain.

"Absolutely!" Mira nodded reassuringly, smiling. "As long as it comes from your heart, you'll do great!"

"Thanks Mira," Gray smiled slightly.

* * *

Two weeks later, Gray was anxiously fixing his shirt in his bathroom mirror, doing up each button carefully so he didn't mess up. Once he was satisfied with his shirt, Gray double-checked his pocket to make sure the box he'd put there hadn't gone anywhere. After that, he headed out of his apartment, locking the door and heading for the guild.

Almost immediately, he was greeted by Juvia, who was staring at his oddly put-together and sharp attire with literal hearts in her eyes. Gray shifted uncomfortably, tugging on his collar anxiously.

"You look nice, Gray-sama!" Juvia smiled. "Why the nice clothes?" she asked innocently.

"I have a date," Gray said bluntly, hoping it helped get his lack of interest across.

"Oh," Juvia mumbled sadly. "With who?"

Before Gray could answer, he felt a familiar warmth take his hand, his fingers lacing together with the ones of the warm body next to him.

Juvia's eyes widened when the person showed up and took Gray-sama's hand so casually. This couldn't be the person Gray-sama was going on a date with! She was almost certain the two hated each other!

"That would be me," Natsu said casually, a hint of a sideways smirk on his face that reached his coal-black eyes.

"Is this a first date?" Juvia frowned, trying to wrap her head around this whole thing.

Natsu snorted in amusement. Gray tried to stifle his own amused snort, but it was still audible.

"No," Gray shook his head. "Fifth anniversary date," he corrected her, watching each and every emotion that passed over her face in less than a minute.

"But Juvia thought..." the rain mage trailed off, sounding devastated. "Juvia thought Gray-sama was single, and had feelings for Juvia!" she muttered almost accusingly. "Juvia thought that's why he was writing about feelings earlier this month!" Natsu shot a quick glance at the side of Gray's head questioningly, but he said nothing. Gray would tell him when he was ready.

"Yeah no," Gray said flatly, shaking his head. "Like I said, it's not important," he repeated. "Now, if you'll excuse us..." he trailed off, giving her an expectant look. Juvia just made a hurt noise, shuffling away with tears forming in her eyes.

"Did you not tell her you're gay?" Natsu asked almost teasingly as the two left the guild hall, still holding hands.

"She wouldn't have believed me," Gray reasoned. "Maybe now she'll get the hint and leave me the Hell alone." Natsu just shrugged, leaning against Gray's side as they headed for the restaurant they made plans to go to for their anniversary every year, both falling into a comforting silence.

* * *

By the time they finished their dinner, the sun was just starting to set over the horizon. They headed for the park by the water, walking along the waterfront peacefully.

About twenty minutes aftet they got there, Gray suddenly stopped, causing Natsu to stop as well thanks to their joined hands. Gray's free hand went to his pocket, hand wrapping around the small box he'd made sure he had before he left home.

"Something wrong?" Natsu frowned, noticing just now nervous his partner looked all of a sudden.

"Nothing's wrong," Gray assured him. "I'm just nervous," he admitted softly.

"Nervous? What for?" Natsu frowned, tilting his head like a puppy does in confusion. "

"The thing Juvia caught me writing? It was for you," Gray explained. "Well, a draft of what I want to say to you anyway."

"I'm listening," Natsu said, still frowning slightly.

"You and I both know I'm terrible at expressing my emotions," Gray began after a quick deep breath to steel himself. "Even after knowing you for almost fifteen years, and being together for five now, my feelings aren't something I'm good at expressing." Natsu's head tilted further to the side at that, brows furrowing in a way that Gray thought was adorable.

"You remember our last anniversary, when you gave me my necklace and I gave you that cuff? How they were both promises of a future together?" Gray prompted, getting a nod in response. "Well..." he trailed off, taking the small black velvet box out of his pocket to show Natsu.

Natsu let go of Gray's hand so he could take the box from him, his heart beating so fast he thought it'd break his ribs to burst out of his chest as he opened it. Inside was arguably the most beautiful ring Natsu had ever seen. The centimetre-wide band looked like it was made of curling vines, the golden-bronze colour not taking away from the real star: the perfectly-round purple and red swirled gemstone set within a simple border. It wasn't too big, but with the colours, it was eye-catching.

"Gray..?" Natsu muttered, looking back up with wide eyes.

"This is me keeping that promise," Gray said softly. "We're both turning twenty within the next few months, and today's our fifth anniversary. I figured it would be the most significant day to do this."

"What are you getting at?" Natsu all but whispered, eyes not leaving Gray's.

"What I'm getting at is this," Gray said, taking the box from Natsu as he sunk down to one knee, holding it up to him. "Will you marry me?" he asked, that nervousness from before creeping back into his voice.

Tears formed in Natsu's eyes as his heart started beating even faster. He got down on both knees in front of Gray so they were able to look each other in the eyes, one hand reaching out to wrap around one of Gray's wrists.

"There's not very many things that'd make me happier," he muttered softly as a few tears tracked down his cheeks. "So yes."

The smile that broke out on Gray's face could've melted an iced shell with how bright it was, even lighting up his midnight blue eyes. Carefully, he placed the box on the ground beside him after removing the ring, taking Natsu's left hand and sliding the ring onto his fourth finger.

Once it was on, Natsu grabbed Gray's face and pulled him into a kiss as the two carefully got back to their feet. Gray's hands moved to rest on the small of Natsu's back, pulling him as close as he could. Both sets of eyes slid closed as they kissed, a feeling of time slowing down hitting them both.

When they finally broke apart, Natsu let out a faint chuckle, as if something was funny. All Gray had to do was raise an eyebrow, a technique he'd perfected over the years. Natsu responded by letting go of Gray's face, stepping back a little, and pulling a box from his pocket nearly identical to the one on the ground still.

"You beat me to it," Natsu chuckled softly, handing Gray the box. "I don't need to freak out about asking now, but I'm definitely still giving you the ring. It was a lucky find, and it reminded me of you."

Gray opened the box cautiously, the first thing to catch his eye being the small blue topaz stones evenly spaced around the silver band. Between and around each stone, the band was etched with Celtic a knot-type pattern that Gray really liked.

"Whoa..." Gray breathed out, looking up to meet Natsu's eyes.

"And now I get to put a ring on you," Natsu teased fondly, taking back the box so he coud remove the ring. He took Gray's left hand in his own, sliding the ring onto his fourth finger the way he had done to Natsu.

When the ring was on securely, Gray went in for another kiss, this time grabbing Natsu's face before he could do the opposite. Natsu was content grabbing Gray's hips, pulling him close.

Time once more felt as if it had slowed down as the two kissed, their Universe narrowing down to just each other. When they finally broke apart, they pressed their foreheads together, Gray's hands moving to brace the back of Natsu's neck.

"I love you," Gray mumbled, making Natsu's chest feel all warm and fuzzy. It wasn't the first time he'd said it, but it carried a different weight to it that Natsu couldn't explain.

"I love you too," Natsu mumbled right back, smiling fondly.


	2. Chapter 2

When Natsu and Gray got to Fairy Tail the next morning, they were greeted by Lucy, Mira, Levy, Erza, and Juvia, all five of which wore different expressions.

Lucy looked faintly jealous, though she tried to mask it with excitement.

Mira looked proud of both of them, a bright smile on her face.

Levy was smirking knowingly, holding a magazine in her hands that neither could see.

Erza looked more than a little unimpressed with them, though she had a tiny hint of happiness in her eyes.

Juvia looked straight at Natsu like she could melt the Dragon Slayer with just a glare, a storm cloud forming over her head.

Frankly, Natsu and Gray didn't know what to make of it. They also had no clue why the girls were like this, but the looks from Erza and Juvia had them too scared to ask.

Luckily, Levy saved them from having to ask anything by handing them the magazine she was holding: the newest issue of _Sorcerer Weekly_. Gray took it from her with a tiny frown, though when he saw the cover, that frown fell off his face with the rest of his expression.

Instead of the usual model cover, the front of the magazine displayed a few scattered images of Gray and Natsu the night before at the park. 

Right in the middle of it all was a lucky shot of the moment before they exchanged 'I love you's. Bodies so close they were almost one, foreheads pressed together as they locked eyes, Gray's hands bracing Natsu's neck with the fading sunset catching his new ring, Natsu's (left, of course) hand firmly on Gray's hip with a thumb in his belt loop with the dragon's breath opal of his new ring reflecting even the tiniest rays of light. 

Some of the other pictures included Gray down on one knee with the ring box in hand, him putting the ring on Natsu's hand, Natsu showing Gray the ring he had brought, Natsu putting that ring on Gray, and the two of them just walking hand-in-hand through the park as they watched the sunset.

Naturally the headline was the most eye-catching part, given it was written in bright pink, bold letters:

_Fairy Tail's Biggest Rivals? Or the Fairy-Tale Couple Fiore's Been Looking For?_

Natsu let out an annoyed groan, running a hand down his face. In doing so, he killed any doubts the girls held, because the idiot used his left hand. A brief flash of purple, orange, and red drew all attention to his hand, specifically the fourth finger on it. 

Gray just sighed heavily, looking at his feet for a few moments before looking back up at the girls.

"Can we at least sit down before you tear into us?" Gray requested, knowing there was no getting out of it. With the hand not still holding the magazine, he took Natsu's as the girls sought a table big enough for all of them. They were barely sitting ten seconds before the girls all started asking questions at once, making Natsu have to cover his ears from the sheer volume.

"One at a time!" Natsu snapped desperately, moving his hands only once they all shut up. "Mira first, because you look least likely to murder us right now."

"I just wanted to ask how it went!" Mira smiled cheerfully. "Gray spent almost three months trying to figure out what he was going to say. He ripped so many pages out of that notebook."

"I think it went pretty well," Gray shrugged, glancing over at Natsu with a faint but fond smile. "Didn't end up looking like an idiot, so I'll count it as a success."

"Levy," Natsu called on next. "Who got the pictures? I haven't looked passed the cover yet," he mused with a small tilt of his head.

"Doesn't say," Levy said apologetically. "But Jason wrote the article inside," she added.

"Of course he did," Gray and Natsu sighed at the exact same time, shaking their heads in unison.

"Don't worry, he only had good things to say," Levy assured them, taking the magazine back to flip to the article. "He idolizes you guys, and a big part of the article is him being excited that 'two of the most famous modern mages are literally anything besides heterosexual', as he put it," she giggled, giving the couple a chance to read what little article there was accompanying a *lot* of other pictures from the park last night.

_Oh, to be a fly in the breeze last night in Magnolia! Some lucky duck snapped the COOLEST pictures of Fairy Tail power-houses Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel by the water at sunset, and I'm so happy they sent them to us! The mystery photographer also got an audio recording of the conversation that these stills were part of, and it's the COOLEST THING. I don't know how I never realized these two were a couple, considering apparently it's been five years! I can't put into words how happy it makes me, seeing that two of the most famous modern mages are literally anything but heterosexual. It's a real testament to Fairy Tail's long history of accepting the mages none of the other guilds would want, that's for sure! Congratulations, Gray and Natsu!_

Natsu couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his face as he read, which Gray was mirroring. 

The girls let the couple look at the pictures for a few more mimutes before Lucy spoke up, sounding annoyed and amused at the same time.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "About any of it? You've been together longer than I've been part of Fairy Tail, and Mirajane was the only one that knew? Come on boys, really?"

"It wasn't just Mira," Natsu defended. "Loke knew too. Granted, that was an accident..."

"Gramps knew the whole time. Keeping secrets from him doesn't work out well," Gray added, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Still!" Lucy sighed in exasperation. 

"Ah, leave them be," Erza shook his head. "Maybe they'll fight less now," she teased, the barest traces of an amused expression on her face. "I knew you two could get along. Congratulations," she nodded. 

"Thanks," both boys nodded back, six pairs of eyes shifting to the last person at the table. She had been silent since Natsu and Gray walked in, though the storm cloud above her head had only grown angrier since then.

"Out with it, Juvia," Erza huffed, unamused. "You'll flood the guild at this rate."

Juvia looked up from where she had been focused on her lap, the storm carrying over into her eyes.

"How could Gray-sama do this to Juvia?" she whimpered, voice wavering with unshed tears. "How could Gray-sama lead Juvia on like this? Why would he spare Juvia's life, if he wasn't interested?"

Gray sighed heavily, turning to bury his face in Natsu's neck to calm himself down before responding to Juvia.

"I spared you because I don't stoop to killing my enemies," Gray said evenly. "I spared you out of basic human decency. There was no attraction, no ulterior motive. I didn't think I'd have to spell it out for you, but I'm not attracted to women. I never have been, I never will be. I don't know how many times I've told you I'm not interested in you like that. I already have someone, as flame-brained as he is. I have no plans to replace him any time soon, so take a hint."

Natsu had taken Gray's hand, squeezing it comfortingly so he didn't end up freezing the entire guild in anger.

Juvia whimpered before breaking down sobbing, water beginning to flood the guild hall rapidly. Etza sighed before using the pomel of her sword to knock Juvia out to stop the flooding.

"That... went well," Gray muttered sarcastically as Erza carted Juvia off to a bed to rest on.

**Author's Note:**

> [Natsu's ring](https://m.imgur.com/4SvZ2qt)
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> [Gray's ring](https://m.imgur.com/v5khDTq)


End file.
